P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter. Illustrated by Maria Tina Beddia. 2018. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: A is for Aisle. The bread aisle has not been cleaned in aeons, and nine tiny beasts meet to have a feast.

Premise/plot: This book is not your traditional alphabet book. It is choosing to highlight words that "misbehave" in one way or another. Usually misbehaving words start with silent letters or break phonic rules in some way. Some letters are trickier to find examples for than others. Some choices make total sense--others not so much. There is a glossary and word pronunciation guide at the back of the book.

More examples:

• C is for Czar. Shhh! The fascinating czar is secretly part Czech.
• E is for Ewe. Eileen the ewe was so euphoric the wolves were eaten, she even gave the eulogy.
• G is for Gnocchi. The gnome yells, "Waiter! There's a bright white gnat nibbling on my gnocchi!"
• I is not for Eye. We asked the pirate if he has two eyes, and he said, "aye, aye!"
• K is for Knight. The noble knight's knife nicked the knave's knee.
• N is not for Knot. N is for naughty children who will sing a solemn hymn when autumn comes to an end. 
• P is for Pterodactyl. Ptolemy the psychic pterodactyl struggles with psoriasis. 
• T is for Tsunami. The charging tsunami washed away all of Tchaikovsky's tchotchkes. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. Granted, I am an adult. I'm not sure this is a picture book for actual children. As in children who are just beginning to read and sound out words. I'm not sure how it would work as a read aloud for a group. Perhaps it has some potential there! If you are planning to read it aloud, I'd recommend practice. (It's always a great idea to pre-read a book before reading it aloud anyway.)

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A Busy Creature's Day Eating!

A Busy Creature's Day Eating! Mo Willems. 2018. Disney-Hyperion. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:

A Apples!
B Berries!
C Cereal!
D Doughnuts
E Eggs
? !
F Furniture

Premise/plot: The 'creature' that stars in Mo Willem's newest book EATS just about anything and everything--whether it's good for him or not. Will there be consequences for his LARGE and CRAZY appetite?

My thoughts: This book is definitely over-the-top silly and designed to make children of a certain age giggle. For example, he is beginning to regret his life around the letter O. And P is for POTTY. I'll leave it to your imagination what V is for.

I would say there's a practical lesson in here somewhere, BUT, in all honesty the last thing you need to put on a queasy stomach is RICE, SALTINES, and TEA. Those foods are for after you've emptied out, not before.

Also, I have to wonder where his parents were while he was eating. Surely a parent should have stepped in and stopped him from eating a HUGE HOT-SAUCE HALIBUT HOAGIE.

I did not care for the illustrations--for the style of the illustrations. But I must admit the creature himself was drawn expressively.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 2 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10


© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Eight Hands Round

Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet. Ann Whitford Paul. 1991. HarperCollins. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Patchwork is pieces of fabric cut into different shapes and sewn together into patterns. During the first one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many women and girls--and even a few men and boys--sewed patchwork.

Premise/plot: It is an alphabet book, but it is an alphabet book for older readers. The goal isn't to teach little ones the alphabet. Each letter of the alphabet shares information about a particular quilt pattern. Information is included providing background on how people lived and showing that how they lived influenced the name of the pattern. (Churn Dash, Grandmother's Fan, Log Cabin, etc.)

My thoughts: My mom is the quilter of the family. She loves to sew quilt blocks by hand. She has books of patterns. She is always looking for new books on quilting at the library. I shared this one with her. I wanted her perspective. She had opinions! What we both loved was that we get to see in each pattern both the one block AND the whole quilt. Not all quilt books include this 'big picture.' There were some letters where she was, "I wouldn't have chosen that block for that letter...."

Overall, I liked it well enough.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

ABC Bunny

ABC Bunny. Wanda Gag. 1933. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:

A for Apple, big and red
B for Bunny snug a-bed
C for Crash!
D for Dash!
E for Elsewhere in a flash
F for Frog--he's fat and funny
"Looks like rain," says he to Bunny

Premise/plot: Readers get to spend the day with Bunny. The alphabet guides the adventures certainly. But it isn't as straightforward as it might have been. There is some story added in.

My thoughts: I love, love, love the illustrations. I really adore the porcupine, the squirrel, and the bunny, for example. The text was okay for me. I didn't love it, but, I didn't dislike it in any way either. It's just that as I was turning the pages, it's the illustrations that caught my interest and not the text.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Alphabet Trains

Alphabet Trains. Samantha R. Vamos. Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. 2015. Charlesbridge. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Tear the ticket. Load the freight. Sound the whistle. Raise the gate. Clank! Chug-chug! Whoosh! Alphabet trains.

Premise/plots: Alphabet Trains is a train-themed alphabet book for young readers. An author's note at the back of book provides more information on each train. A few trains are just types of trains, but other trains are specific trains. I like learning which trains are real, and where each train is located.  For example, "K is for Komet, traveling through the night. L is for Leonardo Express--a trip to Rome postflight." The note reveals, "The Komet runs overnight between Germany and Switzerland. Like a comet in the sky, the train travels at high speed. The Leonardo Express travels back and forth from the airport in Rome, Italy, to the central train station in the city. The trip is just 30 minutes."

My thoughts: I like this one. I like reading and reviewing train books, because I think train books will always have an audience. Little ones like trains. Some really, really, really love trains. Do you have a favorite train book?

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

ABC Bunny (1933)

ABC Bunny. Wanda Gag. 1933/2004. University of Minnesota Press. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:

A for Apple, big and red
B for Bunny snug a-bed
C for Crash!
D for Dash!
E for Elsewhere in a flash
F for Frog--he's fat and funny
"Looks like rain," says he to Bunny

Premise/Plot: The plot is minimal. Though simple might be a better word. After Bunny is woken up suddenly, this alphabet book follows his adventures. This one won a Newbery Honor in 1934, so obviously the text was thought worthy! But it is an alphabet book. It is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book no doubt.

 My thoughts: I love the black and white illustrations. The illustrations are very detailed. I found them oddly mesmerizing. (I love the illustrations of the porcupine and the squirrel). This is an enjoyable book. I don't remember reading it as a child--that is I don't remember having it read aloud to me as a child. (I have very strong memories of reading Millions of Cats). But this is a lovely book. I wish my library had more of Wanda Gag's books.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A is for Art

Johnson, Stephen T. 2008. A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet.

A is for Art is an alphabet book for older readers. The book was written with these questions in mind: "What is art? What are the ideas behind a work of art? Do they work? Why or why not? Who decides what is art? Can anything be used to make art?" And there is an abstract piece of art for each of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Each piece is named and described. And at the back of the book, it presents a few more facts about each piece--the size, the medium, etc.

For the letter C, we have "Camouflage."

Camouflage: Countless colorful candies consciously collected, crammed, crushed, and confined crowd a clear circular container filled to capacity.

For the letter D, we have "Dotty Diptych"

Dotty Diptych: Densely distributed dominoes, divided by dark and light dots on dual panels, disappear under drops of dramatically dashed paint dribbling downwards.



Those two caught my eye right away. And while there are many other enjoyable letters I could highlight, I think those two will suffice as an introduction to what Johnson is trying to accomplish.

I think this one has some appeal both visually and verbally. I hope that came out right. While I *know* the main emphasis is on the art itself, for me, I found the descriptions to be what caught my eye the most. The language called to me more than the art. Or just as much as the art in any case.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews